Rattlesnake

© ℗ Big Purr Music, LLC (ASCAP)

Rattlesnake might sound like a character assassination of some bad dude in my own life, (heaven knows it could be), but in reality, it’s based on a Native American story, re-told by Joseph Campbell in The Power of Myth, where a maiden walking along the trail takes pity on a very persuasive rattlesnake who begs her to put him under her cloak to keep warm on a cold day. She is shocked and horrified, of course, when he bites her, after she had been so kind to him, and his famous reply is, “hey, you knew I was a snake when you picked me up.” So, I thought the allegory was perfect for a rockin’ rockabilly song. Gotta stay away from those rattlesnakes—both the slitherin’ kind and the smooth-talking, two-footed kind! Love the 60s retro groove by the band.